Game Thread: Week 4: Browns @ Redskins

[Sportster 72]

Sorry, I can't let them off that easy. This game should have never been this close.

Agree with j_y and said this during the game. The only way this D can get off the field is to get TOs. They did that last week and this week. Otherwise they got clown stomped. This D is horrendous.

 

[Breed]

Josh Norman has weird-ass ideas about the NFL

Expect Norman to get this treatment all year.

Yeah, I read that at a Dr's waiting on my mom who had an appt. I was hoping he was just trying to be provocative or edgy, but I'm leaning more towards him being a weirdo now.

 

[Krusheasy]

Sorry, I can't let them off that easy. This game should have never been this close.

the defense ... with their lack of investment in the DL, only gave up 20 points tho

while the offense on the other hand should of been capable of putting up 40+

 

[reptec101]

We got away with one today. Happy for the win but realze this team isn't good at all on defense. Players hurt to even make matters worse. Not sure how they fix this by next week but we aint playing the lowly Browns again. Little worried here.

 

[Krusheasy]

onto the next one ....

post game show & Presser

ESPN 980 Washington D.C. LIVE - ESPN

 

[gkekoa]

Sorry, I can't let them off that easy. This game should have never been this close.

I'm not letting them off. They can't tackle for shit. I am simply saying they forced three turnovers and were the reason we won. Our offense needs to take a close look at themselves and figure out what is going on. We can't afford to keep getting these penalties and KC needs to play an entire game while being decisive.

 

[Breed]

Cousins still has his head up his ass. Those last two sacks were on him and his bone-head INT is what started the Browns come up. He finally looked good in the RZ though.

 

[j_y19]

Cousins still has his head up his ass. Those last two sacks were on him and his bone-head INT is what started the Browns come up. He finally looked good in the RZ though.

Yup. If you look at his numbers, he had a great game. But he continue to has a couple of boneheaded plays every game that really hurt.

 

[Sportster 72]

Couldn't agree more over 75% completion percentage and three TDs is questionable QBing. Perfect, no ... pretty damn good, I would take it every week.

 

[Breed]

Yup. If you look at his numbers, he had a great game. But he continue to has a couple of boneheaded plays every game that really hurt.

Agreed. I thought he was lucky as well that he didn't fumble or get hurt on the 2nd sack.

 

[Krusheasy]

 

[Krusheasy]

 

[Krusheasy]

 

[skinsdad62]

i had to watch the game on game pass , my thoughts

ENJOY THE F"N WIN !!! we are 2-2 and we have a shot again

jones had a good game , murphy was balling too and yes KC has some game management issues but we won
tackling sux

BUT ENJOY THE WIN !!!!!

 

[Caliskinsfan]

I like wins period

 

[Caliskinsfan]

X rays negative so nothing broken for Kerrigan, MRI on the elbow tomorrow

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Perfect summation from Jerry Brewer IMO.





By Jerry Brewer Columnist October 2 at 8:42 PM

When you’re playing the winless Cleveland Browns, it’s hard to get credit for anything. Win 31-20, and you should’ve won more impressively. Rush for 145 yards, and sorry, no trophy; you’re playing the Browns. Limit the opposing offense to three second-half points while forcing turnovers on three straight possessions, and, well, what? Are you not listening? You. Beat. The. Browns.

It’s considered a game you can’t lose, playing at home against an ever-overhauling team. It seems you can’t win, either.

So never mind that Matt Jones had the second-best rushing performance of his NFL career on Sunday. Forget that the Washington Redskins, a pass-happy catastrophe on offense for most of the season’s first month, saw the benefits of committing to the run. And neglect that offensive coordinator Sean McVay’s variety of play calls coincided with Washington improving from a 3-of-14 touchdown rate in the red zone to three end-zone celebrations in four chances Sunday.

It was against the Browns. Just the Browns.

But isn’t being able to use the term “routine victory” a development for Washington?


Supposedly, you can’t do anything significant against the Browns unless you lose to them. And then you’re entered into evidence for why the NFL should consider relegation. But after running for 117 yards and a touchdown, sometimes bursting through big holes and finishing carries with agile moves and sometimes dragging defenders for hard yards that wear down a defense just the same, Jones declared that his game was a continuation of the previous game.

A week earlier, Jones had rushed for 37 of his 65 yards on the game-winning drive of a 29-27 victory over the New York Giants. Afterward, he recognized how powerfully he ran. Now Jones, who is 6 feet 2 and weighs 232 pounds, sounds as if he understands the damage he can do.

“I found out who I am and what I’m running for,” Jones said.



“He looked like he was running with more power and more conviction,” Coach Jay Gruden said. “That’s a big thing as a back. You’re not going to make every correct decision, and when you watch the film back and run it back, you could’ve cut here, you could’ve done this, but when you make a decision, make it and be decisive. And he was more decisive today and more physical.”



If you’re still burdened with the it’s-just-the-Browns mentality, consider the bigger picture: For a team that attempted to pass the ball on 78.3 percent of its offensive plays in its first two games — both losses — a 100-yard rusher and a 145-yard team rushing effort seemed as improbable as a third-down defensive stop. Since then, in two victories, Washington has committed more to the run, showing patience through a 30-carry, 90-yard shoving match against the Giants and now offering this exquisitely-balanced game plan that included 26 run calls in 56 plays.

It might have been the blandest plan you’ve seen this season. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was aggressive in taking the short throws that the Cleveland defense left open, and he didn’t complete a pass longer than 26 yards, though DeSean Jackson accounted for 71 hidden yards by drawing two pass-interference penalties (both of which contributed to touchdown drives). The offense was booed multiple times for conservative calls on second- and third-and-long situations. But bland isn’t always bad, especially for a team that hadn’t gotten enough out of nearly 1,000 passing yards in the first three games.

Against the Browns, the story wasn’t exactly what Washington did to win; it was what it didn’t do, which is make a ton of mistakes. Cousins threw an interception trying to force a pass to Jamison Crowder, which led to a Cleveland touchdown. But he threw three touchdown passes, and his patience resulted in a 116.5 passer rating. He needed to play a clean game, and for the most part he did. His 183 passing yards were his fewest in a game this season — by a stunning 113 yards. He averaged a pedestrian 6.8 yards per pass attempt. But he’s had a few gaudy statistical performances that felt empty already this season. Functional was just fine Sunday.

The Browns, under a promising new coach in Hue Jackson, are a strange combination of competitiveness and futility. They trailed 14-0, tied it, took a 20-17 lead . . . and then started playing as if they were walking on a field of marbles. Fumble, fumble, interception. They’re 0-4 with three close losses so far. It’s as if the Browns are just good enough to show you how bad they are.


So what does that make Washington?

A 2-2 team that won’t make too much — or too little — of having survived this game and this first quarter of the season. Just a week ago, Washington had to stave off an 0-3 start. Now, it’s .500 again. The quarter could’ve been better if Washington had beaten Dallas at home. Then again, it could’ve been a disaster.



This victory over the Browns won’t go on the mantle. But it won’t go in the trash, either.



It’s easy to nitpick this one. The Browns rushed for 163 yards against a Washington run defense that seems to be getting worse. The Browns came into FedEx Field and outgained Washington 380 to 301. They converted 8 of 12 third-down attempts, meaning Washington figures to retain its status as the league’s worst third-down defense for another week. If it hadn’t fallen behind 14-0, if it hadn’t turned into the turnover fairy in the second half, Cleveland might have thrown Washington into a 1-3 record and another round of second-guessing, which would’ve been worse than relegation.

But the home team did the one thing it hadn’t all season: It waited. It won at the line of scrimmage. It played physically and avoided making a fatal error. And it may have found confidence in its run game.

“Teams haven’t been fearing it,” running back Chris Thompson said. “They were dropping eight a lot of times in the pass game. If I would get in the game, they just kept dropping into a soft zone. As a crew, we have to start running the ball well so teams will respect that.”

As every cynic will remind you, a win over the Browns doesn’t garner much respect. Washington did what it was supposed to do. Yet for a team whose performance has been so erratic thus far, such a simple feat amounts to progress.

 

[Caliskinsfan]

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Didn't realize that McVay had been up in the booth last 2 games. Interesting point.

 

[deanpet21]

Didn't realize that McVay had been up in the booth last 2 games. Interesting point.

That is interesting. I saw Gruden with the play call sheet yesterday. Did anyone else see that?